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Sunday, April 8, 2012

FROSTED CREAM CHEESE BROWNIES OR GOAT CHEESE BROWNIES

Get out your whisk and spatula, don’t disturb your mixer because you won’t be needing it. Here’s an easy and decadent – but not too decadent – brownie recipe. It’s not totally fudgy and not totally cakey. It’s somewhere in between the two, and just perfect for me, with a slight chewiness. You can make the cheese filling with or without the egg, but I prefer it with. Save a few calories by using nonfat Greek yogurt instead of sour cream. My favorite Greek yogurt is Fage because it's not as acidic as other Greek yogurts and tastes more like sour cream.

Adding coffee enhances the chocolate, making it possible to use less chocolate and have it taste like more. You can use your favorite frosting, or just spread Nutella over the top of the warm brownies. You can also leave the frosting off. Either way, this is my new go-to brownie recipe.

Making these brownies with goat cheese is even better. The funky tang of goat cheese plays perfectly off the chocolate.
If you’re a chocoholic, you may want a recipe with more chocolate in it. Since, like most seniors, I’m sensitive to chocolate, I try to use the least amount that will give me a good chocolate flavor without the jitters. I’ve seen brownie recipes that use four times this amount of chocolate, but I wouldn’t be able to eat more than one bite. (Please note that my rating is very subjective per my preceding comments.)

Heat oven to 350F (325F for dark or coated pans). Spray a 9”x9” pan with nonstick cooking spray, or grease lightly with shortening or butter. Heat coffee and butter in medium microwaveable bowl on high till almost boiling, or heat in a 2-quart pot over high heat. Remove from heat and add chocolate and coffee granules. Stir till smooth. Set aside. Combine flours, cocoa powder and brown sugar in a resealable quart-size bag; seal; shake and press to combine. Set aside.

Lynn, I like to think these have more flavor. The brown bottom cupcakes that I'm familiar with don't have many ingredients, hence less flavor. You can, however, make these in cupcake form. I've filled 36 mini muffin tins with the batter for mini treats.